Naruto: Reunited
by Sacred Maiden
Summary: Sasuke Uchiha has finally been returned home. With his goal of killing his brother, he needs to accomplish his other goal; Rebuilding his Clan. As everyone is searching for love, how will he win the heart of the one he chooses? SasuHina, SaiSaku,& ShikaOC
1. Chapter 1 Their First Date

(A/N: This is my first serious fanfiction that I've planned on continuing. Please go easy on me.)

Sakura squinted at the brightness of her room. The blinds were open and she had just woken up. The sun was shining and she could tell there was a light breeze by the movement of the trees. She sat up, trying to adjust her vision. Once she could see decently, Sakura swung her legs off the side of her bed and walked to the mirror to see what damage the night had done to her appearance.

Her short, pink hair was as tangled as a ball of yarn after a kitten had gotten a hold of it. Her eye makeup was smeared in circles around her eyes. Sakura wasn't sure if it was because she had rubbed her eyes or from just sleeping. She grabbed a towel and walked to the bathroom to shower. After Sakura was done getting ready, she looked beautiful. She wore a maroon mini skirt with fishnet leggings and black boots. Her off the shoulder, long sleeve, maroon shirt was worn over a black tank top.

"There we go, looking good for my date with Sasuke-kun!" She giggled. Sakura hurried down stairs, grabbing her purse, and out the door.

Sakura met up with a boy she knew so well. His hair so black, it almost seemed blue in the right lighting, and his cold black eyes made every girl he met swoon and every man jealous. She had never expected, but always hoped, that when Sasuke was returned to Konoha, he would finally decide that Sakura was the one he wanted to be with.

"Good morning Sasuke-kun, sorry if I kept you waiting." Sakura smiled at him, now that she could take a peaceful moment to look at Sasuke, he looked more adult now. His build showed that he had been put to work hard and for a long time. He looked more like a man than a boy.

"The reason I wanted to meet up with you was so you could catch me up on everything that's been going on in Konoha since I've been gone. Now that I've rid myself of Orochimaru, and killed Itachi, I have to be ready to rebuild my clan. I can't go about doing that without any knowledge of where I'll be living for the rest of my life." He stated coldly, but there was a slight warmness in his voice when he had said that this was where he would be for the rest of his life.

"Isn't that just like you?" Sakura said, looking at Sasuke with a look that had love and pain in them. She had missed him, wanted him back for so many years. He was here now and he was still much like the way he was when she had said she loved him. "I would still do anything for you, Sasuke-kun." Her voice was warm and caring. All of her words had deep meaning.

"Well then, you can answer my questions." He smirked. "Let's start with the people who are still here. Is there anyone we know who's died since I left?"

"Asuma-sensei, he died battling the Akatsuki… and Jiraiya, the other Legendary Ninja besides Lady Tsunade and Orochimaru has been missing for quite some time. Lady Tsunade has reason to believe that he has died in battle as well." Sakura's voice was soft as she spoke. She felt like if she said it and louder, that something would break from them.

"I see. I assume that all our old classmates have at least become Chunin by this time." Sasuke asked, putting aside the death conversation. Sakura smiled, trying to keep her mood up. She was with Sasuke, she should be happy.

"Well, everyone except Naruto. He went away to train with Jiraiya-sama for about two years. He came back only shortly after we went off to get you for the second time. "I know he'll become one when he has a chance to enter the Chunin exams. There are a few who are even Jounin!"

"He and I will be the only ones our age to compete then, now wont we. If they're smart, they won't put us against each other." Sasuke smirked once again.

"Sasuke…" Sakura began "why don't you ask me the real question you've wanted to ask? I'm not going to be telling Naruto about our little meeting." Sasuke raised his eyebrows.

"I'm impressed Sakura. Fine, I'll get down to it." Sasuke leaned closer, and spoke a little more quietly. "What are Naruto's new abilities?"

"This one's going to cost you, Sasuke-kun." Sakura smiled, flirtingly.

"Oh, is that so?" Sasuke looked at her with disbelief.

"Yeah…" She smiled a little bigger. "You have to pay for lunch!" Sakura ran under the curtain of the Ramen shop near by, giggling. Sasuke just rolled his eyes as he walked in, they continued their date, talking all about what had happened while he was gone.

--


	2. Chapter 2 Just Checking In

_DING-DONG!!_

Sasuke stood up from the couch and put a book mark to hold his place as he put down the book titled Starting A New Life. He walked to the door of the house he had bought. It was next door to the old housing to the Uchiha clan. When he answered the door, he was shocked to see someone he hadn't seen since he had been brought home.

"Uh, h-hello Sasuke-kun…" It was the dark haired girl named Hinata that had been part of his rescue team.

"Hinata-chan, right? How did you know where I was?"

"Oh, uh, Naruto-kun told me. He asked me to see how everything was going." She was shy and wouldn't look Sasuke in the eyes.

"Well, come in. I'm sorry if my house is a little messy. I don't get many visitors." He opened the door wider to let her in. Hinata bowed slightly to Sasuke, and walked in nervously.

"Your home is decorated very nicely. Are these pieces from your old home?"

"Yes, most of them were things my mother had passed down to her from her parents. I thought since they were family heirlooms and all…" Sasuke walked towards the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Oh, yes please. That would be very nice. May I sit down?" She asked, hesitating over the couch.

"Go right ahead, is lemonade okay?"

"Oh, um, of course." She had a slight blush on her face. This is the house of the boy all the girls had had such a big crush on. She imagined him to be conceited and very flirty. He seemed to be a gentleman. She took a seat and looked at the cover of the book on the table. She smiled; it was a good thing Naruto had such good friends. She could see why he would miss Sasuke, but why had Sasuke left the village like that? He didn't seem like the type.

Sasuke came back into the room and sat next to Hinata, holding a glass with yellow lemonade in it.

"I remember you from the ninja academy. You were on Kurenai Yuhi's team, weren't you?" He asked, seeming more friendly than usual. Someone who had known him would be shocked to see how nice he was being.

"Y-yes, I didn't know you knew who I was." Hinata was blushing still, not looking him in the eye.

"Heh, to tell the truth I had noticed you a lot in the Academy. You were one of the only girls who didn't swoon over me every time I entered a room." He smiled at her.

"O-oh, it's not because I didn't like you or anything! I-I j-j-just had my m-mind on other things and Uh…" She stammered.

"It's alright. I know what the reason is. Even though I didn't at the time, Sakura told me about it later. She had seen you try and speak with Naruto before. She said you faint almost every time you talk to him." He laughed a little bit. Hinata's face was red, and she couldn't say anything. "Did you always like him, or was it only after he stood up for you against Neji?" Hinata looked up at Sasuke, shocked. She thought everyone had forgotten about it except her and Neji.

"I-I've liked him since school." She smiled slightly, blushing to herself.

"I'm sorry if it's insulting for me to say, but you're such a timid girl, and beautiful. Why would you go after Naruto when you could have any boy you wanted if you tried? Most everyone finds him to be a trouble maker or strange at the least. I mean… everyone thinks he's a loser." Hinata winced and furrowed her brow. She looked up at Sasuke, angry.

"Naruto is not a loser!" She snapped. "He tries his hardest at everything he does. He might not be gifted like you or Neji-kun, but he's the hardest working person I know! He inspires people like me to try our hardest, and reminds us that hard work is actually worth something." She looked shocked at herself. "I-I mean… it's just that when he was a kid, he could barely even make a single clone, and now he is the best at it in the village. He has high standards for himself, and now… he's even more powerful than the legendary Uchiha clan." She covered her mouth and looked at Sasuke.

"More… powerful than I am, huh?" He looked down at the ground.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"No." Sasuke interrupted. "You're right. He got me to come back to Konoha, but remember this: I have accomplished my goal of killing the man who murdered my family. You don't see him as Hokage, do you?" Hinata's eyes searched Sasuke's face.

"Why would you say such a thing?" She handed the glass back to Sasuke. "I think it's time I go. I see you're adjusted to living in this home, so my work is done." She stood up, and bowed slightly to Sasuke. "Farewell, Uchiha-san." She walked to the door and left.

Sasuke looked at the two glasses, and felt ashamed of himself. He put the glasses down and walked out the door. He looked at Hinata, walking on the stone path.

"Hinata-san! Please wait!" He called out. She stopped, and turned around. She was looking at him, waiting for him to say something. "Can I see you again?" Sasuke called out. She looked shocked and blushed. Hinata nodded and turned away with that. She began walking away once more.

Sasuke smiled to himself. He wasn't sure how he would see her again, because he didn't have a way of contacting her, but he guessed that meant she would contact him. He had never done something like this with a woman. He had always only focused on training to get his brother, but he had accomplished his goal. He could lead a normal life now… well as normal as a ninja's life could be.


	3. Chapter 3 Longing For Love

A man with dark hair pulled back into a ponytail walked into the Konoha city gates. He wore a Chunin vest, and a metal plate with the Konoha leaf symbol on his arm.

"What a drag that trip was." He sighed as he turned to the men watching the gates.

"Welcome back Shikamaru-san." One of them said.

"Thanks, if anyone needs me, I'll be out in the fields again." He said nonchalantly.

"Watching clouds again, are we?" The man laughed.

"It's relaxing, so sue me." Shikamaru walked towards the fields. He hated walking Temari of the Sand back and forth between their villages. Once he got there, Shikamaru lay down in the grass, underneath a tree for shade. The clouds were just right today, white and fluffy and not so abundant to insinuate rain the next day. Shikamaru sighed contently as he began to day dream.

Watching the clouds, he never really focused on anything. He let his mind wander to things he wished for. Things like mustering up the courage to ask Ino Yamanaka out, and her actually saying yes. A girl like that would never go for him, especially now that that prick Sasuke Uchiha was back. He thought about it, and decided that he should have asked Ino out before he got back, but that was a lost cause now. Shikamaru let his mind wander.


	4. Chapter 4 A New Shinobi

"Lady Tsunade, there is someone here to see you." A man said, poking his head in the door.

"Send her in." Tsunade commanded. A girl with fair skin, long jet black hair, and emerald eyes walked in. Her hair was pulled back in a high pony tail. She wore a metal forehead protector, but it had no symbol on it. She was a ninja with no village. She had on black shorts that went to mid thigh, fishnets that fell about two inches short of her shorts and black ninja shoes. There were wrappings around her hands that went up her forearm as well. Her green tank top was the only thing with color that she wore.

"Good afternoon Lady Tsunade, it is an honor to meet you." She bowed slightly, smiling.

"No need to be so formal with me, missy." Tsunade laughed.

"Alrighty then!" The girl smirked. "Wassup, woman?"

"Heh, nice." Tsunade smiled. "What is your name miss?"

"Kuro Naito, at your service." She smiled.

"Well, Naito-chan, I would like you to go meet up with Shikamaru Nara. He will be the one to help you out around the city. You came at a great time, he usually is with the ambassador from the Sand Village. You'll have him all to yourself." Tsunade laughed.

"Alright, where can I find him?"


	5. Chapter 5 Popping In

Shikamaru was shocked to see a girl pop her head right above his, interrupting his day dreaming.

"AHH! Who are you, and what are you doing?" He yelled.

"Tsunade-sama told me you'd be the guy I'd be staying with. I'm new here." Kuro said, and as she finished, Shikamaru realized she was leaning over him. One arm at each side of his body, and her legs on the left. "The name is Kuro Naito," She leaned down and kissed Shikamaru on the cheek. ", it's nice to meet you."

Shikamaru blushed and yelped as she did this. He was trapped, the tree was right behind his head, and she had him pinned.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Shikamaru freaked out. Kuro moved her arms and sat on her legs.

"Why, introducing myself of course." She said, sounding confused. "You don't need to get all fussy about it."

"But what's with the kiss?!" He was still yelling. Kuro sighed.

"What's the big deal? It was on the cheek." She was offended obviously. "It's a friendly kiss you half-wit. I'm just trying to be polite. If I'm gonna live with you, I want to be friends." Shikamaru was calmer now, knowing she meant nothing by it. He sat up.

"Women are so troublesome." Shikamaru shook his head.

"If it's gonna freak your wife out as much as it freaked you out, don't tell her, okay?" Kuro stood up, starting to walk to the outer part of the field.

"W-w-wife?!" Shikamaru looked at her, blushing again. "What makes you think I'm married?"

"You flipped out so much, I assumed you were taken." She turned, looking at him.

"No. I don't have a wife."

"Then a girlfriend?"

"No. I don't have a girlfriend." He glared at her.

"Well, then you don't have to worry about it, now do you?" She started walking again. Shikamaru sighed.

"This is not going to end well." He began to follow Kuro out of the fields.


	6. Chapter 6 A New Branch

Sakura was back in her normal outfit, and normal clothes, walking to the meeting point Yamato had told them to go to. Sai and Naruto were going to be there as well.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out to his team member.

"Oh, good morning Naruto, have you seen Sai or Yamato-sensei yet?" She asked.

"Yamato is always late; we'll probably see him after Sai." Just as Naruto finished Sai came into site. "Speak of the devil."

"Good morning, Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan. How are you both doing today?"

"Great, now that I know Sasuke-kun is back. He even brought me on a date." Sakura smiled.

"What?! You went on a date with Sasuke?" Naruto looked devastated.

"Well, yeah. Is it so hard to believe?" Sakura crossed her arms.

"It's just, Sasuke wasn't at all interested in you before, and you've gone on a couple of dates with me since I came home and all, so I thought…" Naruto was looking at the ground.

"Naruto," Sakura began, but before she could finish Yamato showed up. Sakura and Naruto said in Unison:

"You're LATE!"

"Sorry everyone, I had to see Kakashi-sama before I came here, make sure he's okay with what I'm about to tell you."

"Alright then, get to it." Sakura commanded. She was sounding more and more like Tsunade every day.

"Well, it's concerning Sasuke. We know he was the original third member in team Kakashi, but we've gone over it with Tsunade-sama, and we have come to a decision." Yamato began.

"You're not kicking Sasuke out for Sai, are you?" Naruto panicked.

"Oh, heavens no!" Yamato said excitedly. "We want to put him back in of course, but we want to keep Sai on as well."

"So, who is being taken off the team?" Sakura asked.

"No one." Yamato said, proudly.

"Wait, what?" Naruto was confused.

"Team Kakashi is going to get two more, in fact." Yamato was beaming.

"What are you talking about; I thought that we were supposed to have four people." Naruto sounded completely baffled.

"Team Kakashi is going to have two branches. Branch one: Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. Branch Two: Myself, Sai, Shikamaru, and a new ninja to Konoha, Kuro Naito."

"What?!" Sakura exclaimed. "I thought Shikamaru was going to leading Ino and Chouji."

"Well for the time being he's going to be working with us. Ino is going to be staying for some more training in Medical Ninjutsu, and Chouji is going to be doing special training with his father. So, Shikamaru is free to be in the group for now. Most of the missions Team Kakashi gets sent on requires more than one group anyways, so we'll be killing two birds with one stone!" Yamato claimed happily.

"Well, this will be interesting, wont it?" Sai said, with another one of his famous fake smiles.


	7. Chapter 7 Wake Up

"Wake up, you bothersome girl." Kuro heard, being shaken from her sleep.

"Where-" She cut off her sentence when she opened her eyes. It all came back to her; the trip here, meeting up with Shikamaru in the fields, and him showing her where her room would be. "Oh, never mind. Why are you in my room? Don't you know it's rude to wake a guest?" She rolled over, her face in the pillow.

"Tsunade sent a messenger bird. She wants us to join up with Team Kakashi. Apparently we're being assigned to a new second branch." Shikamaru pulled the blankets off of Kuro.

"Uggh… I hate waking up." She looked her eyes out from the pillow's darkness, squinting to adjust to the new lighting. Shikamaru was already ready to go, he was waiting on her. "Should I hurry?"

"No, we're not in any particular rush. I don't like being troubled to hurry awake either. That's why I let you sleep for a little while." He noted. "Now at least get your butt out of bed to eat. We may not need to hurry, but we still need to get going before noon." Kuro groaned once more, pulling herself upright and looking through squinted eyes for her bag. Shikamaru left to let her get dressed.


	8. Chapter 8 Meeting The New Girl

"Whoa! Who's that girl?" Naruto asked. The girl was definitely a 'Whoa' kind of girl.

"I don't know, but I sure wanna." Sai said, looking at her, up and down.

"Shut up you pervert!" Sakura punched Sai, and he went flying.

-Meanwhile-

Kuro saw a girl with bubblegum colored hair punch a man so hard that he hit the building a yard away.

"What was that?!" Kuro grabbed Shikamaru's arm, frightened.

"Oh, that's the other female member of our new team; her name is Sakura. You don't have to worry; she doesn't hurt girls who aren't her opponent." Shikamaru explained. "Can you let go?"

"Oh, sorry about that." She let go and rubbed the back of her head. "So what's everyone else's name?"

"The blonde is Naruto. He's cool I guess, kind of a nit wit, but I'm sure you'll be friends with him. Just about everyone is."

"Okay… What about the other two, what are their names?"

"I don't know, to tell you the truth. I've never met them." The two walked in silence until the reached the others.

…

"Sakura, Naruto, Sai, these two are our new members. Sakura and Naruto, you've met Shikamaru before." Yamato said.

"Hey man, what's up?" Naruto nodded to Shikamaru. "You seem to have a new girl every time I see you." Naruto nudged Shikamaru's arm with his elbow, winking.

"What a drag…" Shikamaru shook his head. "Me, with her? Yeah right."

"HEY! What do you mean like that?" Kuro put her hands on her hips.

"Alright, uh Sai, please meet Shikamaru Nara. You'll be on the same branch as him." Yamato cut it.

"It's nice to meet you Shikamaru-san." Sai offered his hand to shake.

"Uh, thanks. You too, Sai, was it?" Shikamaru replied, taking Sai's hand and shaking it.

"Yes, that is correct." Sai finished his hand shake and turned to Kuro. "I assume you must be the other team member I'll be with." Sai took Kuro's hand and kissed it. "It's an absolute pleasure too meet you, I am Sai." Kuro smiled and bent her head next to him. She landed a kiss on his cheek.

"It is nice to meet you too Sai! The name is Kuro." She said after her kiss. Sakura and Naruto looked at her, shocked.

"Don't sweat it you two. She kissed me on the cheek when she met me too. I think it's normal for her." Shikamaru said. Kuro shot Shikamaru a look.

"At least someone understands how to properly greet a new friend." Kuro said to Sai, acting like she had heard nothing. She turned to Naruto. "Shikamaru says that you make a lot of friends, I hope that we can be good friends as well." Kuro kissed Naruto on the cheek as well. Naruto blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Heh heh, did he now? I'm sure that we'll get along just fine." Naruto smiled one of his huge, goofy smiles at her, and Kuro smiled sweetly back. She turned to Sakura this time, still smiling.

"You wont punch me like you punched Sai if I kiss you on the cheek, will you?" Kuro asked, hoping that she wouldn't get punched just for asking.

"Of course not! I only hit perverted men." Sakura and Kuro both leaned in and kissed each other's cheeks. They looked like sisters while doing so.

(Author's Note: No Yuri intended here. Don't make it gross you sickos.)

"I'm glad to have met everyone. I'm sure we'll all make a great team!" Kuro punched into the air. "Cha!" Sakura's eyes widened at this.

_What is she? Me on the inside?!_ Sakura thought to herself.

Yamato tapped on Kuro's shoulder.

"I'm Yamato; I apologize that you won't be able to meet Kakashi-sempai himself. He's currently hospitalized."

"Oh, that's alright. I'm sure that he would be here if he could." Kuro smiled, and took Yamato's hand. She kissed it on the fingers. "If you did not know, this is how I greet my upperclassmen, Yamato-sempai." She said, bowing slightly.

_Oh, crud._ Sai thought. _That means she thinks that I see her as in a higher position than me… this is not good._

"So, Sai, are you young, or do you just treat women with respect? I'm guessing it's not the later, if Sakura-san feels the need to hit you." Kuro asked with a giggle.

"Uh, I just thought I would be sure to treat the new members with respect, that's all." He smiled a fake smile.

"Liar." Sakura said, coldly. She stood, arms crossed, annoyed. Naruto and Kuro laughed, Sai blushed.

"What a drag…" Shikamaru sighed.

It was the start of a strange and hilarious friendship.


	9. Chapter 9 Last Editon To The Team

"Well, I've got one more update to the team

"Well, I've got one more update to the team." Yamato said to the group.

"But I thought that we already had enough members for two teams." Sakura sounded confused.

"Well, if we had Kakashi, we would, but since he isn't going to be with us, we will have to have someone else." Yamato said, matter-of-factly. "We'll all be working together, so I'll just lead the group."

"Alright, so who else will be joining us?" Naruto asked.

"Hinata Hyuga will be the other member on our team until Kakashi is recovered." Yamato replied.

"H-hello everyone, I'm sorry I'm late." Hinata chimed in.She had just met up with everyone.

"Hinata-chan! I haven't seen you since we retrieved Uchiha. Welcome back." Sai said, welcomingly.

"Oh, th-thank you." Hinata was blushing.

"Yo! I'm Kuro, a new edition to the team." Kuro smiled, and came up to Hinata. She leaned in close to her face.

"Kuro-chan! I wouldn't suggest doing that!" Naruto tried to stop Kuro, but it was too late. Kuro kissed Hinata on the cheek. Hinata's face went bright red, and her eyes opened wide.

"Uh, uh!! I'm sorry, K-Kuro-chan, but I'm n-n-n-not like that! There's a b-b-boy that I like and… and…" She was stuttering and panicking.

"Dear Jashin, doesn't anyone here know what a _friendly_ kiss means?!" Kuro threw her arms up in the air."Great, now you've ruined my good mood." Kuro walked away from Hinata and stood next to Shikamaru. Shikamaru was staring at her. "What?"

"What did you just say?" Shikamaru was wide eyed and angry.

"Which part?" Kuro seemed oblivious. The last time that Shikamaru had heard the word 'Jashin' was the day Asuma died. It was his killer that had been talking about him.

"Jashin… you aren't a follower, are you?" Shikamaru asked.

"…Why do you ask?" Kuro looked at him in confusion. Everyone was watching them; Shikamaru had a crazy look in his eye.

"Just answer the goddamn question. You better not be a follower. I can not trust you if you are." Shikamaru was glaring.

"Well no shit Sherlock." Kuro laughed. "Of course you can't trust a Jashin follower!" She looked at him, searching his eyes. "How do you know about him?"

"My sensei was killed by a Jashin follower." Shikamaru said, with a hateful pain in his voice. Kuro's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry…" She said. "I'm not a Jashin follower. It's just, where I grew up, it was a common religion; usually the religion of the little rebels around town."

"It's alright, you didn't know." Shikamaru said, not looking at her.

"What'd I miss?" Everyone turned their heads and saw a dark haired boy standing there, his hands in his pockets, and his onyx eyes giving a cold look.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said cheerfully.

"You finally decided to show up, eh Sasuke?" Naruto asked, with a serious voice.

"Hello Naruto." Sasuke was looking Naruto in the eyes.

In this moment the two boys saw no one around them, only their rival, their friend, and their brother standing right in front of them, looking them in the eye.


	10. Chapter 10 The Mission Begins

"Sasuke, it's nice of you to join us." Yamato said. "I'll be your leader while Kakashi is away, my name is-" "

Yamato. I know." Sasuke finished his sentence. "I've met everyone, but this girl here." He said, pointing at Kuro.

"Kuro Naito, it's nice to meet you." She said, smiling. Sasuke just looked at her, and then turned away. Kuro looked shocked. "Hey, get over here."

"Why should I?" Sasuke asked. Kuro glared.

"Because I said so." She pursed her lips.

"Sasuke, you should do what she says." Sakura warned him.

"What is she gonna do to me? Cover me with lipstick?" Sasuke looked at Sakura with a look that said 'I'm bad ass, no one can hurt me.'. Sasuke blinked and when he opened his eyes, Kuro's foot was against his face, with a high kick.

"High-ya!" She yelled out, planting her foot in the side of his head. Her surprise attack sent Sasuke to the ground. Everyone looked at Kuro in shock, except Sasuke, because all he could see was the ground.

"Damn, she's fast." Naruto said under his breath to Sakura.

"Maybe even faster than Lee. I didn't see her move. Did you?"

"Nu-uh, but what scares me is, even if she moved as fast as Lee, this is Sasuke we're talking about. He would have seen it coming." Sakura was shocked. "Good thing she's on our side."

"Alright! Break it up you two." Yamato said, walking in between them. "Sakura, Naruto, Sai; would you care to explain what will happen if they continue?" The three remembered the wooden cage Yamato created when they first started fighting. It sent shivers up their spines.

"Whatever." Kuro turned away and went back next to Shikamaru. She looked up at him, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"Oh, nothing." Shikamaru said, nervously. _Note to self: Don't piss her off._ Shikamaru thought.

"Alright, everyone settle down. We are all together, and it's time for me to explain things." Yamato said after Sasuke had gotten on his feet and dusted himself off. "This team is not yet used to working together, and now that Sasuke is home, there isn't much going on. So, Lady Tsunade has decided to put the team on a patrol mission. We'll be out in the forest, keeping watch. It'll be a fairly easy mission, but it's meant to create bonding between members and get us acquainted with each other's fighting styles."

"So, this is basically camping?" Kuro cocked her eyebrow, with a laugh. Yamato sighed.

"I'm not supposed to say this, but yeah. Pretty much." Yamato laughed himself. "We'll leave in two days. You get to sleep in your homes tonight, spend the day getting ready, and then we'll be off first thing the morning after. Understood?" Everyone's wording was different, but it was all along the lines of 'Yes, Sir.' Everyone spent the next day packing everything and double checking supplies. The day after that everyone met just after sunrise at the gates.

"Ugh, why so early?" Kuro yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"What a drag." Shikamaru said.

"Can I use you as a pillow?" She asked, grabbing hold of his arm and leaning on him.

"No!" He pulled away and she stumbled.

"Awww, why not?" She asked, catching herself.

"Because I said so." He said, mocking her statement yesterday.

"Oh, shut up pony tail." She said, failing to come up with something cleaver.

"You're wearing a pony tail too." He pointed out.

"But I'm a girl, I'm allowed to."

"What, is it against the law for a boy not to?"

"Oh my God!" Sakura yelled. "Stop bickering like a married couple!" The two looked at her in surprise.

"Pssh. What's eating her ass?" Kuro mumbled to Shikamaru.

"Women are so troublesome." Shikamaru sighed.

They continued meaningless chit chat while waiting for everyone to arrive. Once everyone was there, Yamato gave a little speech.

"Alright everyone, this is to build our team work. So, try not to fight, and focus on working together and getting to know one another." He said. "Now, let's move out."

The city gates opened, revealing a path to the forest. Everyone dashed out in a formation much like a flock of birds; a V. Yamato was the tip, Sasuke and Naruto at either side behind him, Sakura following Naruto, and Sai following Sakura. Hinata trailed behind Sasuke, with Kuro at her back, and finally Shikamaru behind her.

"So," Sai began, trying to make conversation with Kuro. "How long are you staying in Konoha?" Kuro huffed.

"The rest of my life."

"Oh… so where are you staying." He replied. Kuro gestured towards Shikamaru."With him? Why?"

"My mom was friends with his Dad before she left Konoha. She made him promise to take care of me if anything happened to her."

"So, what happened?"

"My parents were murdered by some religious fanatics." She said painfully.

"Oh…" Sai just decided to shut up.

"You planning on sticking around for a while, Sasuke?" Naruto asked Sasuke, as they jumped from branch to branch.

"Yeah, I'm gonna stay now. You don't have to worry about me taking off." Sasuke replied.

"Good, because I'm not waiting another two years and then going to save your sorry butt again." Naruto laughed.

"Saved? I killed two of your rivals!" Sasuke laughed.

"Yes, but you would have been held captive by that Tobi guy forever if we didn't come and get you." Naruto laughed back.

Once it was lunch time, the group stopped for some rest and something to eat. Everyone pulled provisions out of their bag.

"I bet Chouji would be pigging out on chips right about now, eh Shikamaru?" Naruto joked.

"Who's Chouji?" Kuro asked.

"He's my best friend, from the Akimichi clan." Shikamaru replied.

"Oh, okay."

"I'm gonna go look around while I eat alright?" Shikamaru told Yamato.

"Just be back in ten minutes, we'll be on ground patrol then." Yamato answered. "

'kay." He said, walking off.

"That's kinda weird." Naruto said to the group.

"Yeah, Shikamaru would usually rather just sit on his butt." Sakura explained. "He's really lazy."

"N-not like Naruto-kun." Hinata said. "You're always doing something." She smiled fondly at him.

"Which right now, is eating." He smiled, grabbing a chip out of a bag. Hinata giggled softly and offered him a rice ball. Though no one noticed, Sasuke was glaring at him. Why did Hinata like him so much?

"Hey, Sasuke, you want something? I've got tomato flavored snacks. I know you like them." Sakura smiled.

"Sure Sakura. Thanks." She handed him a red snack, which he ate. As they all ate, Kuro sneaked off in the direction Shikamaru had left. He was the only one she felt familiar with. When she finally found him, he was in a clearing of sorts. There was a spot with no trees, and he was looking up at the sky.

"Uh, mind if I join you?" Kuro asked, feeling like she interrupted something deep. Had this been what she had interrupted when she met him?

"Oh, hi. I was just watching the clouds." He said with a dazed voice. Kuro came over and sat next to him. She saw he was laying down, his head on his hands. She imitated him, looking up.

"You know, I prefer watching the stars." She said, relaxing.

"Really? Why is that?" He asked, seeming interested.

"Well, when you look at clouds, they're abstract. You have to think to make them into a shape, and when you look at it long enough, it'll change. With the stars, they're all little dots that stand out against a black sky. Lots of people say it makes you feel small, but not me." She was speaking in a dreamy voice.

"What do you feel like when you're looking at the stars?" He asked.

"Lucky." She smiled. "I mean, out of all the planets we've looked at, there are none that have any life like ours. That means, if we had been started on another planet, we would be some single celled organism or something like that. Really, with stars, your mind goes either blank, overwhelmed with the impossibility with it, or you think so much it makes you feel adventurous and makes you want to explore everything so you can know as much as possible."

"Wanna know what I think?" Shikamaru asked.

"Sure." She said.

"You talk too much." He laughed.

"Well, why don't you shut me up then?" She stuck her tongue out.

"How's that?" He asked.

"Kiss me." She smiled.

"A kiss isn't the same to me as it is to you, you know that right?" He looked at her, questioningly.

"Just means less commitment for you, now doesn't it?" She laughed. "You didn't say no, by the way."

"No. Not in a million years." He turned back to looking at the clouds. Kuro laughed, laying back down in the grass, letting her mind wander while she looked at the clouds with Shikamaru.


End file.
